Meet Moomik
When I went home to visit my parents in Hamilton on the weekend I was pleased to see that Moomik had his ritual place of honour on a chair in the living room at the start of the 2004 Olympic Games.
This is Moomik:
As best as I can remember Moomik was an Olympic mascot from the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976, which is when we bought him. He's a rather cute, hybrid critter part-beaver (buckteeth and a flat tail) and part-elk (antlers). I'm sure we bought him in a flush of Canadian pride when our fair country was hosting the Games for the first time three decades back. An Internet search on "moomik" doesn't provide much info, except that Moomik toys and collector pins seem to be in high demand on E-Bay.
My sister Anne told me that I was the one who started the Drury Moomik Olympic ritual during the LA Olympic Games in 1984. I don't remember that, but I'll take her word for it :). Since Moomik was always set up in the living room during the Olympic Games anyway I started cutting up pieces of yarn to tie to his antlers every time Canada won a medal at the LA games. Using the yarn that was around the house, I used white yarn for gold medals, blue yarn for silver medals and red yarn for bronze medals. So, we'd have our own little ceremony each time Canada won a medal, as we tied another yarn streamer onto Moomik's antlers. Now, anyone who knows their Olympic history knows that the LA Games in '84 were boycotted by the Eastern Bloc countries, meaning that Canada ended up winning more medals at that Olympics than at any Olympics before or since. Moomik was festooned with yarn by the time that games ended. He's never see that many yarn accolades at an Olympics since :), but the tradition has continued.
At the beginning of every Summer or Winter Olympics since then Moomik has been set up in the living room, a batch of white, blue and red yarn pieces tucked in his shirt, to have his antlers decorated as each Canadian medal was won. And as the flame is extinguished for each games he's tucked away again, ribbons intact, until the next Olympics in two years' time.
It was good to see him out when I was home on the weekend for his bi-annual visit and when Canada won its first medal of the Greece Games yesterday, a bronze medal in synchronized diving, I smiled to picture Moomik with his one jaunty red ribbon.
Let's hope he has a few more before the end of the Games :).
This is Moomik:
As best as I can remember Moomik was an Olympic mascot from the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976, which is when we bought him. He's a rather cute, hybrid critter part-beaver (buckteeth and a flat tail) and part-elk (antlers). I'm sure we bought him in a flush of Canadian pride when our fair country was hosting the Games for the first time three decades back. An Internet search on "moomik" doesn't provide much info, except that Moomik toys and collector pins seem to be in high demand on E-Bay.
My sister Anne told me that I was the one who started the Drury Moomik Olympic ritual during the LA Olympic Games in 1984. I don't remember that, but I'll take her word for it :). Since Moomik was always set up in the living room during the Olympic Games anyway I started cutting up pieces of yarn to tie to his antlers every time Canada won a medal at the LA games. Using the yarn that was around the house, I used white yarn for gold medals, blue yarn for silver medals and red yarn for bronze medals. So, we'd have our own little ceremony each time Canada won a medal, as we tied another yarn streamer onto Moomik's antlers. Now, anyone who knows their Olympic history knows that the LA Games in '84 were boycotted by the Eastern Bloc countries, meaning that Canada ended up winning more medals at that Olympics than at any Olympics before or since. Moomik was festooned with yarn by the time that games ended. He's never see that many yarn accolades at an Olympics since :), but the tradition has continued.
At the beginning of every Summer or Winter Olympics since then Moomik has been set up in the living room, a batch of white, blue and red yarn pieces tucked in his shirt, to have his antlers decorated as each Canadian medal was won. And as the flame is extinguished for each games he's tucked away again, ribbons intact, until the next Olympics in two years' time.
It was good to see him out when I was home on the weekend for his bi-annual visit and when Canada won its first medal of the Greece Games yesterday, a bronze medal in synchronized diving, I smiled to picture Moomik with his one jaunty red ribbon.
Let's hope he has a few more before the end of the Games :).